


Hidden in the Leaves

by whatsgoingon



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, HPAU, M/M, More tags to be added, Romance, blood mention
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-06
Updated: 2019-01-06
Packaged: 2019-10-05 08:22:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17321396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whatsgoingon/pseuds/whatsgoingon
Summary: Iruka had never been one for rules. Sure, he understands them. Even respects some.Never before had he been afraid of breaking them.But for once in his too short life, he’s finding out what happens when you don’t do as your told. Iruka could only hope that Kakashi was right.He hopes Kakashi is worth it.





	Hidden in the Leaves

**Author's Note:**

> Please read the comments at the end!

 

Everything was peaceful on Hampshire Way. The few scattered houses lay dark and unassuming, no activity to be seen. A lone bench sat on the sidewalk against an iron fence. One foot was broken, and the dedication placard had long since faded. With every blow of the wind, the wood creaked and the bench swayed a little farther to the left. Brittle leaves covered its surface, waterlogged and barely holding together. A cracked street clock claimed it was 2:07 am. The only source of light to be seen was a single lamp stuttering in and out of existence. Every so often, it would hold out for a couple seconds, and the puddles on the pavement would reflect the stars in the sky. If it stayed longer, the word on the gate could be partially read, the bold M only slightly rusty. The rest of the letters had long since fallen, only leaving a barely legible -na on the end. 

A rustling noice cut through the silence, coming from a sewer grate beneath the sidewalk.A rat's head emerged from the gutter, nose sniffing the air before the rest of its body proceeded to follow. When it deemed it all clear, it quickly scurried towards the bench and the bars behind it. Halfway there, the rat stopped and sat on its hind legs. As if in a trance, its breathing slowed, and the rat began to tremble. Suddenly, it let out a last shudder, and fell backwards, dead. The very air stilled as the wind seemed to hold its breath in anticipation. Not three seconds later, the lamp went out.When it returned, two figures stood facing one another, dead leaves settling around there feet.

One was fully clothed in black, offsetting the streetlight he landed under. The shorter one stood a few meters away, visibly bruised and standing with shoulders hunched underneath his faded brown cloak. Both faced one another. Neither spoke.The streetlight flickered in and out, casting a slight glow on the otherwise moonless night. Wind rustled the trees, and a single leaf slowly fell to the ground, settling delicately on the pavement between the two figures. They still didn’t move. The lamp lit for a brief moment, illuminating the man beneath it. Iruka could only catch his features for a moment before everything went dark again, but he didn’t need the help. He already knew who was there.

Looking back now, he tried to figure out where he went wrong. What went wrong. Iruka kept good grades (mostly), treated others fairly (unless they asked for it) and volunteered during his summer breaks. He was a prefect and took his position seriously, and never got caught breaking the rules. Not too popular, but not a wallflower. Never called too much attention to himself. Or so he thought.

Iruka let out a quiet chuckle. The other man didn’t move, but he noticed his posture change to a more offensive one.‘ _Yeah_ ’ he though. ‘ _Definitely failed on that last one_.’

Iruka studied his pursuer, trying to see what he was up against. Besides his movement a moment ago, he remained in the same position he’d been since they stopped. His gaze slowly slid down the man’s body, taking in the heavy, black cloak trailing from the hood on his head down to his boots. Iruka’s gaze settled on his shoes, noting the man was standing in a puddle.He could tell they had been well loved; they were scratched to hell and seemed to be missing part of a shoelace. ‘ _I would have thrown them out by now, but he’s too stubborn,’_ he offhandedly thought.

“You know why I’m here.” A deep voice cut through the night.Iruka whipped his head up, breaking his concentration. He eyed the man, weighing his options. He could answer, maybe opening a dialogue and giving him time to come up with a plan. Or, all things considered, he could be giving the answer the man needs to kill him in two seconds flat. He really hoped that wouldn't be the case. But just for safety purposes, he stayed silent.

The next time, it wasn’t a voice, but harsh wind that broke the silence, whistling through the branches and blowing more leaves to the ground. Iruka shivered and pulled his own cloak closer, cursing the unnaturally cold May weather. Then again, it wasn’t so unnatural to him, knowing its cause. A loose strand of hair fell into his face, and Iruka slowly pushed it behind his ear. The stranger didn’t move, but he knew the man was watching his hand’s motion, waiting for any sign of magic. Iruka sighed and dropped his hand to his side. ‘ _No time like the present,_ ’ he thought ruefully. Slowly, he made eye contact with his pursuer. Or at least with where he thought the man’s eyes to be beneath the hood. There really was no point trying to drag this confrontation out.

“And if I do?” Iruka called back, voice only wavering slightly. The other man tilted his head to the side, as if he was giving the question a great deal of thought. Iruka did his best not to snort out loud. ' _He looks just like those dogs he claims to hate so much.'_

The man straightened up, seemingly done with his pondering. Iruka unconsciously tightened his grip on the wand in his hand. The pursuer did the same.“Well,” the deep baritone voice said, “that makes my job much, much easier.”

The man slowly reached his non-wand hand up to his head and yanked down the hood, exposing his face. Iruka held in a whimper, trying and failing to keep his expression passive. The familiar face across from him smirked, mirth clear in his expression. Iruka cursed silently. His eyes had always been too expressive, and he had been aiming to keep his attacker from knowing just how much this ordeal was affecting him. However, he should’ve known his attempts would be fruitless. They knew one another much too well, and the other man didn’t seem to want to break his gaze on Iruka’s face anytime soon.

Gulping, Iruka shifted his grip on his wand once again, noting the wood was becoming slick beneath his sweaty left palm. He needed to get out of there and _fast_. There was no way his attacker would let him go willingly, especially after revealing his face, but Iruka knew there was no way he would be able to win a fight between them. And he staunchly believed that nineteen was too young to die. Slowly, Iruka attempted to slide a foot backwards while the other man’s gaze was on his face. Moving as little of his upper body as possible, he slid the appendage backwards, putting himself in a more defensive position while also giving him the option to disparate at the slightest sign of danger.

He almost had his foot in position when everything went wrong. His sole caught on an obstruction, and he felt the crunch before it split the night in two. The man’s expression went blank and his eyes immediately fell to Iruka’s back foot with hawklike precision. Iruka was tempted to follow their gaze, but knew there was no way he could take his eyes off the other man now. His last chance at a clean getaway was broken, and all because of a damn leaf. Now, all Iruka had left was his Plan C, which was similar to Plan B, except it was absolutely fucking horrible. _“Make a break for it and hope everything turns out okay’’ is not exactly my best backup plan,’_ Iruka thought, _‘but at least it’s a plan.’_  Besides, he had spent the earlier part of the night attempting to lose the man (unsuccessful). The element of surprise might be all he had left. He mentally steeled himself, and then Iruka threw himself into action.

Pushing off his back foot, Iruka dove to his left and tucked into a roll. An explosion rocked the ground, and he came out of his roll with his wand ready and bits of pavement in his hair. His eyes flicked back to the right, and he tried not to be surprised. The spot where he had been standing was now a perfect hole, two meters in diameter. He faced forward again. The attackers’ eyes were focused on him.

 _‘ Shit.’_ Iruka knew one day that his habit of overthinking would bite him in the ass, but this really was the worst time. While he had spent a few precious seconds mentally recuperating, he had given his enemy enough time to get his bearings. And he knew that stupid trick wasn’t going to work a second time. It was basically pure luck that it even was successful once. All he could do now was wait.

Without warning, his attacker raised his wand. He tried to throw up a shield, but was too slow. A white beam of light hit Iruka squarely in the chest and he keeled over, gasping for air. His lungs were constricting, actively pushing out air and refusing to take it back in. Iruka could feel his vision dimming and tried to reign in his growing panic. He grabbed his chest, dropping his wand in the process and tried to focus on his heartbeats, concentrating on what consciousness he had left. His bruises pulsed with every breath he lost. In a last ditch attempt, he pushed himself to his knees and shot an stunning spell with an uncoordinated hand. His attacker easily sidestepped, not losing control in the slightest. Just when Iruka felt his eyes going dark and his body falling forward, the light stopped and his lungs began pulling in air again. Gasping, he grabbed his throat and drew his shaky vision upwards.

He stood closer, only a few feet away, arms at his side. From this distance the scar bisecting his cheek was easily seen, even in the darkness. The man’s eyes met his, and Iruka tried to speak. Instead, his throat protested and found himself letting out a wet cough. Something dribbled down his chin, and the scent of metal hit his nose. Iruka felt rather than saw the blood fall and hit the puddle beneath him, darkening the water. The man’s eyes never wavered.

Iruka coughed again and that’s when he knew.

He had been so close to making it out of Hogwarts alive with no one the wiser. It really was a shame his bad luck finally caught up to him.

The blood continued to drip down his chin, but Iruka did nothing to stop it. It didn’t matter anymore.The attacker’s eyes passively followed its path to the ground before settling once again on Iruka’s face. There was no warmth to be seen. Slowly, he raised his wand, aiming the tip at Iruka’s head. Iruka looked to his wand on the ground before darting his eyes back up. It was too far away.The man opened his mouth and Iruka reflexively threw up his arms. He knew it was no use. He didn’t know why he still did it. A large ball of white energy similar to the beam, grew from the tip of the wand and towards Iruka. If he looked hard enough, he though he’d be able to see all of the colors. It must have been intentional. He knew rainbows always had been Iruka’s favorite. Looking the other man in the eyes, he gave a soft smile. The other man never blinked. 

The last thing Iruka saw before his skull slammed into the pavement was the red, pulsating left eye of the man he loved.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! So this is my first fic in a LONG time, and I’m posting it off an iPad so i know the format is mesed up right now, but it’s the prologue! I have more chapters I plan to post, as I believe this will be a longer chaptered fic. I plan to add tags as I go on, as well as trigger warnings as they appear. I really just wanted to write this as a little self indulgence piece, since I havent written in so long and I got into naruto hardcore this past summer. I hope everyone enjoys this as much as I do writing it! I would love to hear your comments and what you guys think of it:)


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